How to Make Professional Photos for Gift Baskets

Photos For Gift Basket Catalog

At the My Baskets studio, we bring in only top-notch photographers with the finest equipment to showcase our gift baskets in the best way possible. Taken in a studio set up with bright lights, a white backdrop, and with only the best cameras, My Baskets aims to ensure our creations are beautifully displayed not only in person, but also beautifully displayed on your monitor or phone screen with a photograph. In fact, we have just finished a photo shoot for our new catalogue, showcasing our finest collection to date of gourmet gift baskets, all while looking absolutely stunning in person and in the picture. Although we may make it look easy, there is actually a lot of preparation and planning that goes into creating such professional photographs to showcase on our website and in our catalogues.

There are many factors that come into account when preparing to take photographs of gift baskets. Such aspects include the location, the lights, the camera, and the tripod.

Set Up At Our Location

For the location, we make sure that in our gift basket studio there is a place with an empty wall. We want you to only have your attention focused on our gift baskets, so we make sure nothing is located in the background to distract you as the viewer from our products. We also make sure that it is nothing but a white colour surrounding the gift basket, as opposed to using a bold or bright colour, to again ensure that all focus is directed toward the real star of the show – our gift baskets. Don’t worry if you do not have a white wall, backdrop or table to use when taking your pictures! You can use any coloured backdrop or table, and you can cover it with white or a very soft coloured fabric or tablecloth, such as a beige or cream colour. You can even buy a white or light-coloured canvas, or maybe even a Bristol board from an arts and crafts shop to use as your background. Make sure your background looks in uniform, and no creases or folds are shown!

Lights

It is crucial to ensure that good lighting is captured and incorporated into your photographs. Ring lights and studio lights do a great job at distributing bright and flattering light equally. Ensuring that your lights are positioned on and facing each side of the gift basket will generate these bright and flattering photographs we desire to achieve. Such lights can be purchased at most home improvement stores, or on online.

Camera

For the camera, you are going to want to have a digital camera. Some smartphones do have very high-quality cameras installed nowadays; however, if you are aiming to achieve those really professional-looking and clean-cut photographs, we recommend investing in a digital camera. Although we use a very high-end one, if you cannot afford this piece of equipment, there are many other options available that will be a suitable substitute as well. We recommend going to an electronics store or looking at reviews of models online to see what best fits your budget and your needs for a camera. For the tripod, it is crucial that your camera is able to be positioned securely and firmly as your photographs are taken. This will ensure your pictures are taken not on a slant or taken without any blurring that may occur from holding your camera with your hands. Some tripods may be home-made and spontaneous; however, we recommend investing in a proper piece of equipment that will guarantee your photographs look sharp, clear and overall very professional.

Editing

Once all of your equipment is ready and you have your professional setup all ready to go in your studio, you are ready to take your photographs! When your photographs have all been taken, the final step is to edit them. You may find you want to crop or eliminate any unnecessary details in your picture, or you may find you want to enhance your photographs by changing its certain elements, such as playing with the pictures' brightness, darkness, and/or saturation levels. Some programs you may find yourself wanting to use include Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom or Pixlr Editor to help with any corrections or touch-ups you may want to fix on your pictures.

Details Are Important

Remember that pictures speak a thousand words, and the visuals displayed of your gift baskets is your chance for customers to see what kind of products you create. If they cannot be there in person to see your products, the next chance you will get for their judgement is on your website or in your catalogue, as this is where they see your pictures. You want to ensure that these pictures accurately represent what you have to offer to customers. You want your photographs to look clean, clear and professional; having the right equipment and techniques will absolutely guarantee this!